Saturday, May 20, 2017

How are you? I hope that spring/autumn is going well for you! Almost done with uni for the year, we can do it!

I want to send a huge thank you to the super lovely Kayleigh from A Book Lovers Playlist for tagging me to do the Book Blogger Test Tag! I love tags and this one seemed cute, quick and fun - exactly what I need during a busy semester!

Oh, that and a cup of tea. Tea helps with everything, don't you think? Especially caramel tea!

Anyway, let's get to the tag!

Also - I usually have my questions purple and my answers in black, but lately, Blogger has been somewhat picky when it comes to my color choices. If anyone knows how to fix that please let me know! Therefore I will have a very black-on-black post today.

1. What are your top 3 book pet peeves?

Oooh I have quite a few of them, but if I really have to narrow it down to three, it would be...

- when you order a book and it comes with huge dents/scratches/folds

- letting a friend read a book and waiting months (or years) before you get it back

- bad or obvious love triangles. The one in The Hunger Games killed me. Yet I still love the series ^^

2. Describe your perfect readings spot

I have so many reading spots! I love reading on my bed, in the bus, on the couch, or even in this one specific corner in the common room at my university, where there is a comfy couch that's a bit lower than the others because all 4 of the feet broke off. I wish I would like reading outside more than I do, but I don't like it when tiny bugs land on the page then find their way to the binding of the book. There's no way to get them out!

3. Tell us 3 bookish confessions!

Confessions? Alright let's go

- If I don't have my tiny post-its to mark a page, I will dog-ear the bottom corner of the page to find the spot again. *Hears gasps of shame from every direction*

- I love Percy Jackson to death, it was my introduction to reading as a teen, but I still have not read Blood of Olympus, because I heard what happens to Percy and Annabeth and that was not at all how I pictured it :')

- I can't read books if they have a main character with mine/a friend's name. It's too weird.

4. When was the last time you cried at a book?

Um I finished Clockwork Princess four days ago, when do you think I last cried? xD

5. How many books are on your bedside table?

None, I'm in between books. I do have the DVD of Friends though, season 4!

6. What is your favorite snack to eat whilst reading?

Nothing. Even tea distracts me from reading. So sometimes I have to force myself to stop reading just to stay hydrated and fed...

7. Name 3 books you'd recommend to everyone!

3 is the magic number for this tag or something xD

- The Giver, by Lois Lowry

- Illuminae, by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff

- Stardust, by Niel Gaiman

And about a million more!

8. Write how much books mean to you in 3 words!

Yo just 3 words? Do you know how much I like rambling in my posts, tag?

*sigh* alright, how about this.

Books are bae (As in before anything else not whatever it evolved to hahah)

Monday, May 15, 2017

Hey all! I just finished re-reading The Infernal Devices trilogy, by Cassandra Clare! This is a part of my Shadowhunters Marathon, and I loved every moment of it!

I'm writing this as one review so there will be major spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you! As this is one review, and I'm guessing you are reading this having read the books, I'm not going to be introducing each of the books this time.

This is a series that definetly goes cresendo. Clockwork Angel definitely gives us a good start to a series - it has a good idea and an amazing setting, and we start seeing some character dynamics. You get some deciet, tensions and shadowhunter politics. But it's nothing mind-blowing. Next you start Clockwork Prince, and you start feeling attachments to some characters. You start to really understand Will and Jem, there is more intrigue with Jessamine, Mortmain and a deeper interaction with the main characters and side characters. You start to really see the love between Jem, Tessa and Will. Overall this book is more impressive than the first one. But then you get to Clockwork Princess, and that blows the other books out of the water. It is absolutely incredibly written: you feel what the characters feel, there is a great plotline, and an incredible finale. Now, I'm not usually someone who will cry when I read, but in Clockwork Princess, the emotions and character relations are written so amazingly that I cannot help but cry until the pages are blurry. As we could see with the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare's writing style improves with each book, giving incredible finales. Reading these back to back really makes you realize the time and thought put behind each and every one of the characters, weather they are in the main group or a minor side character. I absolutely love the setting of this trilogy - I generally enjoy books taking place in Victorian England, but here, the combination of the 1800's, steampunk and shadowhunters was done perfectly! Now, I want to talk about emotions. This trilogy made me giggle and smile with its adorable times (such as in Clockwork Prince, when Jem is super shy around Tessa), but it also made me ugly-cry over and over again in the second half of Clockwork Princess! This was especially when Jem 'dies', and Will feels their Parabatai connection snap, and he leaves Jem's knife by a tree with his own blood on it. Oh goodness just writing this is getting me emotional agian! Of course, the feels are also strong when Jem is back in the institute as a Silent Brother, to talk to both Tessa and Will, and when Tessa is thinking of her life with Will, until his death, when she is waiting for Jem on Blackfriars Bridge (Which I went to visit a few weeks ago and was amazing!)Cassie Clare, you kill me with this book. Tessa, Will and Jem are an amazing trio. I love how the love triangle isn't annoying - Tessa doesn't try to choose between the two, Will and Jem love each other enough to never have their love for Tessa come between them, and they each trust, respect and love each other to bits. It is amazing to read about! I also adore the side characters - Magnus goes through quite a bit of character development in this series, and you get to see the histories of some of the shadowhunter families we know and love from The Mortal Instruments. I actually love the ships with the Lightwood brothers and Cecily and Sophie! I feel like they really fit well and bring some sweet relief to the story during some hard times. Henry is awesome - he is such a dorky inventor, and I honestly think he at least deserves his own chapter, or short story! What I did realize is that Cassandra Clare seems to really like the whole brother-sister issues. In this book, Will has a strange relation with his sister - he wants to keep Cecily away from him just as much as he wants to protect her. Tessa believes that Nate is her brother, even though he is not. I haven't read The Artificial Devices yet, but I'm sort of expecting more sibbling issues now, haha! So, here is where I stand on the whole "team" thing:- Jem is my book bae- I love Jessa and Wessa equally- TID is way better than TMI- Parabatai relations struck me more than love relationsOverall, this trilogy gets better and better, is written gorgeously and can easily surprise you with how attached you get to each of the characters, and each of their stories. I'm giving the whole trilogy a 5/5 feathers! The first two books would get 4-4.5 feathers, but the third book brings the entire series back up to a 5!

It took a lot of self-control to not gush all of my emotions into this review! But I'd love to fangirl with you in the comments! Have a great dayStay bookish,

Friday, May 5, 2017

Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well! *Blogging message in the last few paragraphs*I figured it was time for another bookish talk, as MY BLOG TURNED TWO ON THE 23RD OF APRIL! :D

I can't believe I've been blogging for two whole years, it's incredible! I met all the most amazing people through Just Another Bookish Blog - other bloggers, reviewers, Instagrammers, authors... I become involved a little bit more in the community every day and I absolutely love it. You guys are what makes this special, I'm just a tiny part of it. Thank You Thank You Thank You! Also, I know I haven't been exactly 'active' lately - Real life and university have been drowning me in responsibilities, making it hard to work on my blog. I mean, April 23rd was two weeks ago, and I've only found a bit of time to talk about it now. Usually, people have a whole post dedicated for just their blog birthdays, but I hope you guys don't mind too much if I kind of cram several posts into one long one... it just makes it a lot more manageable for me. Which is why I'm putting it in a bookish talk instead! :D 1. YALFest.NL 2017On my blog birthday, I went to YALFest.nl! This is basically the same as Yallwest back in the US of A, but dutch-style. Sure, I didn't understand everything that was being said during the event, but it was so much fun! :D

The Young Adult Dome group and I had the amazing opportunity to meet and greet with Veronica Rossi, Megan Shepherd, David Arnold, Donna Freitas, Victor Dixen, Gena Showalter, Lesley Livingston, and Amy Ewing! They were all incredibly sweet, open to questions and taking photos and videos, and funny! They had the best anecdotes about writing, reading and everyday life. They were all super nice and signed my books in original ways! In fact, I made a youtube video for the Young Adult Dome about the event! (It's not quite done yet - I'll post a link to it later today ;))While I was there, I met a friend I had made on Instagram - Bookiosaurus! It was 100% unplanned and so much fun! She also has a youtube channel you can get to right here!

There was also a ton of bookish merch going around! (And ARCs, but those were all in Dutch, oops!) I even got a free Dutch copy of Throne of Glass so I can practice the language now.2. Nox To Lumos Candle CoKnowing you guys, I'm sure you will absolutely love Nox To Lumos Candle Co. I mentioned the company a few times, but now I'd really like to make an appreciation post. Jessie, the owner, is an incredibly sweet and creative person. She created so many unique candles and also allows you to create your own custom ones based on what you like! And each and every one of them smells incredible! As a rep, I've been getting boxes of candles periodically, and every time it feels like Christmas! Here's a breakdown of what I've received so far, as well as my ratings. Of course, candle ratings are incredibly personal, as everyone likes different scents and types of smells. Caraval - Rose and Vanilla (Magic) - 3/5 - The rose smell is beautiful but quite strong, flowers have never been my favorite scent :') Nice balance with the vanilla though! The Bone Witch - Black Currant, Tea, and Parchment - 4/5 - This smells subtle and fruity and homely, but also quite distinct. Really like this one! Rowan - Pine and Snow Vanilla - 5/5 - This is like walking into a comfortable hug every time you walk into the room - I absolutely love this one! Queen of Hearts - Pumpkin Spice Cake - ? - I love the smell of this, it smells like dessert! But I'll never be able to burn it because the one thing my mom hates is pumpkin spice! ^-^ The Night Court - Honeysuckle Jasmine, Sea Breeze and Orange - 4/5 - this one is a lot like the Bone Witch candle, but with its own twist that I quite like! Flowers are not too overpowering but it's a comfortable candle overallExperiment 626 - Coconut Cake - ? - I haven't had the chance to burn this one yet, but at first smell, it seems amazing! I created this one with Jessie and we had so much fun doing so! It is based on Stitch, of course, ^-^ Jem - Sheet Music, Milk, and Honey - 5/5 - I cannot get over this candle! It's so Jem, incredibly subtle yet warm and comforting. I swear, I could have this burning all day! LA Institute - demon stench, ocean breeze, driftwood, lilac, and embers - ? - I received this one recently so haven't had the chance to burn it yet, but I love the unburnt smell of it!! The Last Crochan Queen - Elderberry, black tea, velvetier and violets - 5/5 - This is a kind of fruity candle that I love! It's absolutely amazing for any of you who love berries! Der Erlkoning - Velvetier, Violets, and leather - ? - Haven't gotten around to this one yet either but When I opened it, it smelled like Neverland to me! ^-^ My bookish Corner - Parchment, Rain, Tea and Vanilla - 5/5 - I created this one! And there's still one in the shop if you'd like one! :D This is a very subtle and comfortable candle, I absolutely love how it turned out! Plus it's white and purple like my blog! If you are interested in any of these, the shop can be reached by clicking here! 3. The Paper Charm ShopAnother shop I've been repping for is The Paper Charm Shop! This is a super cute shop that makes magnetic and normal bookmarks. All of the designs are drawn completely by hand, and are stunning and adorable! She also makes themed monthly boxes, and you can choose a bookish theme or a Manga theme! A few weeks ago, she was kind enough to send me a Harry Potter themed envelope full of adorable bookmarks that I have proudly added to my HP shelf! :D Please take the time to check out her work, it's truly incredible! Click here to get to her little shop :)

4. May TBRConsidering how much uni work I have, this TBR should be illegal. In fact I'm not even sure I'll be able to get through everything in time, we'll see how it goes! - Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare- Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare- City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Clare- City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare- City of Heavenly Fire, by Cassandra Clare - The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco- Girl on the Verge, by Pintip Dunn (ARC tour) - A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J Maas.........How? All of these books are huge! But they're all books I had said I could read in/by May... Wish me luck... To be honest, if I can get through like 4 of these I'll be happy, hahah ^-^"5. Harry Potter Studios & London Last weekend, I was able to go to the Harry Potter studios, in London! Oh my goodness this was so amazing!!

Everything was there and it was so real and detailed and simply magical and amazing! If you ever get the chance to go, it's a must-see in London!! I was also super happy to find Blackfriars Bridge - My favorite character's (Jem's) favorite spot! It was so cool to be there!!

Why yes, I am reading Clockwork Angel in this picture, hahah! We did so many bookish things in that weekend, but also explored the entire city, which I loved! We even found Baker Street and an M&M shop! xD

6. Uni Life and hitting walls So this part might be a little more serious... I'm in my third year of uni. I'm concentrating on chemistry in a Liberal Arts and Sciences degree, and in a Science Program, which is getting increasingly difficult. I'm a blogger both for myself and for a group at our local bookstore. I co-chair the charity committee with a friend, have driving lessons, lab hours, books to read, and other smaller life responsibilities. It's a lot. Really. The stress I've been under is sometimes crushing, and sometimes things seem to fall apart - I will be doing better in some areas, such as socially or with my reading, but then my grades go down. When I manage to get my grades back up, it's only if I put aside, well, practically everything but school, which simply isn't healthy. I need to find a steady balance again. I'm saying this because I'm probably going to take one step back from Just Another Bookish Blog for a while. There's no way I'm stopping - This is a big part of my life now - but I won't be as quick when it comes to posting, replying to comments, reviewing, or checking out your pages. I'll also be less active on Instagram; I might not post daily anymore, or organize huge, complicated shoutouts or games. I do have a giveaway coming up, but that's for my bloggaversary and my 5k-reaching. But in general, I really need to take a step back and focus on things like school and my family and friends, (as well as that massive TBR I promised to finish... that might not get done either tbh). I will still be doing fast-and-easy things like updating my Goodreads every few days and such, but until the end of June, I really need to focus on myself and on my studies. If you read all of this, thanks for taking the time! I know it was a lot but eh, I had a lot I wanted to say! ^-^ I hope you guys are having a wonderful day, wherever you are! Stay bookish <3